Lambency
by Silverwindghost
Summary: Failures.' The word fell from Mandarin's lips like a curse,paralyzing the team as the sound sliced through them like a scalpel'. One shot, my part of a fic trade with Blue Yonder.


" Labency"

A/N: This is my part of a fic trade with Blue Yonder, her part being " Artifically Organic". Thanks to her for waiting sweetly and patiently while I got over my month long, REALLY sucky case of chronic writer's block. Yonder's plot went along the lines of ' what if the team had lost a battle, all their allies had been captured, one of the team was malfunctioning, and Mandarin was mocking their fight against evil and their cause. I made a mistake and made them lose the whole WAR instead...(sweatdrop) but...oh well. Here ya go, Blue Yonder! ;P R&R please, guys!

_Failures_

The word fell from Mandarin's lips like a curse, paralyzing the team as the sound sliced through them like a scalpel. The orange traitor smirked, feet splashing through the blood-soaked soil as he stepped towards them. Red liquid splattered across his white feet.

Their blood. The blood of their allies--dragged away to their deaths deep within the Citadel. The blood of the Hyperforce, lying torn and helpless on the ground, too weak to even move. No one was left. The War was over, and they had lost.

Failures

" Poor, pathetic fools,' Mandarin spat, drawing his blade as he glared down upon them. The acrid smell of wasting flesh blew on the smoggy wind, causing the team's skin' to crawl. Mandarin smirked.

" Did you really think you could defeat me, you filthy insects? Defeat my _master_ ?" Mandarin lashed his foot out, kicking an unconsious Otto square in the chest, leaving a smear of crimson on his white, matted fur. Whirling around, he plunged his blade into Gibson's leg, fresh blood spurting from the wound and flying across the ground. Gibson squirmed painfully, but no sound left him. The shock of the situation had long since left them all mute.

All but one.

Mandarin's eyes skimmed the group, landing on Antauri's silver form. The sterling monkey was struggling to stand, propped on one elbow, his tail curled around his body. Dark oil poured from a gash in his chest, pooling around him in a thick puddle. His once-shining form was dulled with mud, and his blue eyes flickered on and off as he fought to remain activated. His face held a look of pure sorrow and hopelessness. Anyone with even a hint of humanity would've felt their heart twinge at the sight...but to the orange one the image before him held only the sweet victory of defeat. Roughly he kicked Antauri onto his back, holding him down with one foot. Oil ran down Antauri's sides.

" You," Antauri whispered, his voice cracked and harsh, sounding like nails. " Mandarin..."

" WHAT? " Mandarin kicked Antauri again, this time triggering the wires in Antauri's back. The silver monkey winced as his body began trembling violently, sparks flying from beneath his helmet. " You souless slave. You'll just never realize, will you?" Mandarin turned to look at the rest of them, blade raised threateningly. " None of you will! You hold onto the pathetic belief that Igood/I will triumph over evil. What do you think now, hmm?" He swept his arm across the battlefield, the ruined ground...once lush and green...Shuggazoom Park. Weapons still lay strewn across the ground----Tiquido's sword, Reseph's fan...stained with blood, abaonded when their owners were dragged away. Bodies of innocent civilians were strewn everywhere, their desperate attempts to aid their Hyperforce having been fruitless...the end of them. Somewhere in the distance a broken doll murmured the same word over and over again...' Mommy..Mommy...Mommy...Mommy...Mommy...' it's little owner was nowhere to be found. The whole city was gone...dead. Sprx looked up, anger etched in his mud streaked face.

" You old bag of bones," he muttered, before an energy beam hit him and he fell back to the earth. Chiro and the others looked on in horror, looked at the blade lodged within Sprx's helmet. An orange boomerang formation, sharp and lethal in its form. Antauri's weapon. All eyes fell on Mandarin, who was sitting casually on a piece of collapsed building, his hand pointed at Antauri. Chiro felt tears run down his cheeks as the silver form floated towards him, eyes glowing red, claws glowing a firey orange as the deadly blades formed in his hands.

_Chiro...Team..._

The Hyperforce looked up as Antauri's voice rang through their minds. Before them they saw only the silver machine advancing towards them, the orange monster laughing in the distance. Nova turned her head to the side, eyes widening when she saw Antauri kneeling beside her. He looked beautiful...shimmering and transparent, one side of his body dark, midnight black, the other side a bright, etheral silver. One eye was emerald, the other ultramarine. By now the others had seen him, all except Mandarin, who didn't seem to notice. Behind Antauri was everyone they had always known---all the citizens of Shuggazoom...all their allies...safe and sound, with that same shimmering glow surrounding them.

They felt themselves being lifted into the air, saw their lifeless bodies lying on the ground below. In a way it hurt...Jinmay gave a little whimper at the sight of Chiro's ripped up form, and Chiro couldn't help reaching out as the silver monkey below fell to the ground, helmet shattering and oil leaking freely. Mandarin seemed to have vanished...as did the bloodstained, foresaken world behind them.

Because they _were _ free...

...and they had won.


End file.
